Comments on: More HP Slate Videos — Is Adobe’s Flash the Killer App?

By: tim

tim — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 07:40:51 +0000

9-inch slates are not netbook killers. touch is too cumbersome for screens that large.

By: bluespapa

bluespapa — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:10:39 +0000

How big is that screen, anyway?

By: bluespapa

bluespapa — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:45:40 +0000

I noticed that the pop-out keyboard had a tab for handwriting that Adobe doesn't care about (but I do), meaning it's Windows 7, not Windows 7 starter.

By: noctilux

noctilux — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:44:28 +0000

I don’t quite understand why people are so negative about the iPad. Apart from the odd non-youtube video I encounter, I really don’t miss flash very much on my Motorola Droid, and having seen how annoying it can be on a flash-enabled Nokia E90, I might even go so far as to say that I’m quite pleased it’s not there – after all, it also gets rid of most advertisements.
The iPad, in my opinion, is a pretty large device that covers the basics extremely well. Listening to music, watching videos and browsing the web on it will be great, I am quite sure, and the smooth scrolling thanks to the processor looks really nice. Still, it’s a little limited, and I’d love to be able to use a stylus on it for maths, for instance. I might be tempted to buy one, though…

By: Tal

Tal — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:07:53 +0000

both devices are not really needed. but the HP with flash is far more reasonable than the rotten apple. sorry – this iPad is mind blowing in its stupidity. no GPS, no webcam, no phone, no flash, too heavy, … its just a really good marketing machine that is going to lure money off the masses.
I have never been that negative on this site – but iPad is my nemesis so it seems. it drives me mad to think anyone would want to spend money on it. and I am not thinking tech-geeks, but people like my mom. She wants to talk on Skype with her grand-children, she wants to play flush games, she doesnt like holding a heavy item, etc.

Call me crazy – but after this iPad thing, people will sober up and it will be ugly.

By: Scotty

Scotty — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:00:16 +0000

Did anyone else notice how Adobe didn't spend any time showing how well Flash had been updated to support multi-touch? They also didn't exactly knock my socks off by showing one Flash app after another that was written from scratch using multi-touch. I wouldn't buy an HP Slate in order to be able to do what I could with a mouse, I'd buy an HP Slate to do things I can't do with a mouse.

You notice how when Steve shows off a tablet he casually shows you what it does better than a desktop/notebook. Adobe/HP really missed out on that.

By: Andy

Andy — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:26:01 +0000

Agree. I just don't think Windows is right for this sort of device — even if it could run quickly. I'm becoming less convinced that a desktop OS, Mac or PC, is right for a home computer. There is no "personal" in the personal computer like there is on smartphones, iPhones and such.

The hardware looks great, though. Don't know if some Android or Linux variant could save this. It needs a professional looking OS that is purpose-built for this sort of device.

By: noctilux

noctilux — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:59:34 +0000

I’d agree that in terms of functionality, this HP slate will beat the iPad. However, I am growing more and more convinced that slate tablets will only be successful with an OS tailored to them, rather than a slightly adjusted version of Windows.
What the iPad lacks, though, is a way of using a pen to write with. For me, this is very important, and it is why I am very excited about the concept videos of Microsoft’s courier. That seems to combine an intuitive touch interface a la Apple with powerful research tools — I just hope it isn’t a large cloud of vapour!

By: Rodfather

Rodfather — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:16:23 +0000

The thing about these slates, it had almost no marketing behind it from Microsoft. It was created on its own because of the iPad rumors. Windows 7 just isn’t built for touch-only. Also, a lot of these slates have a capacitive screen so inking is limited unless you get a special pen or a meat stick.
It all comes back to convertible tablets for running a full OS. Hopefully one day, there will be a light and thin netvertible with a wacom digitizer.
Or even a 7-10″ slate with a wacom with good battery life. The dream UMPC.

By: Yuvamani

Yuvamani — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:09:50 +0000

The UMPC never got a fair trial because it was never marketed well. Also XP is not 7 and multitouch was never present on the XP UMPC's. Even if it has the same problems as the UMPC, This has legs as long there is buzz around the product and good marketing to back it.

Lack of keyboard will be fixed in two ways. 1) I am sure they will create an accessory 2) There will be netbook like form factors which rotate - hiding the keyboard converting it into a slate. There were some demos in CES.

By: Yuvamani

Yuvamani — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:03:26 +0000

Yes and for people who do not want flash, There is always click to flash and flashblock plugins.

Guess what iPad does not allow me to put plugins.

By: Yuvamani

Yuvamani — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:00:20 +0000

This thing is looking delicious. I do not know how many apps will take advantage of the multitouch though. That is the key.

By: Essex Landscaper

Essex Landscaper — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 06:54:32 +0000

Sign me up for one, the only thing i could not see is bootup times, will it start stop / sleep like the IPAD would ?

By: Matthew Fabb

Matthew Fabb — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:20:09 +0000

"The second video focuses on a key differentiator to Apple’s iPad — the ability to run Adobe Flash. I’m still wondering if Microsoft is skating to the puck while Apple skates to where the puck will be on this one."

With the HP Slate running Windows, you could install Chrome, Firefox (it's shown in the demo) or Windows Safari for HTML5 support, while at the same time supporting Flash. It doesn't have to be one or the other, it can be both and there's a lot of Flash content out there now in 2010. Apple not supporting Flash is a weakness that everyone else is likely going to advertise and try to take advantage of.

By: Matthew Frederick

Matthew Frederick — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:18:13 +0000

First: I would love to see a solid iPad competitor, a couple of companies (or several) that drive each other to great heights. And hey, I use Windows every day, program for it, etc. I'm no Apple fanboy. BUT

This thing, though, looks nothing like the competitor that will help push the market forward, and the UI is the primary reason -- both the Win 7 UI and the interfaces of the various Air apps.

Watch it again and look at the demonstrator's fingers. See how big they are compared to the various things on screen to click on? He only clicks on big things, fortunately, but so many of the UI elements (back button, lots of the in-Flash-app controls, etc.) are built well for a mouse and horribly for a finger.

But it's more than that. All of those Air apps being demonstrated are utterly mouse-oriented. They have lots of hover effects you can't get on a tablet. The UI for a bunch of them is horrible -- that NYT crossword app could be 100 times better for a tablet if it was actually designed for one.

I agree that having Flash on the iPad would be sweet, but Win 7 is a truly terrible operating system compared to the iPhone OS specifically_for_this_use.

Why's there no super-streamlined Windows Slate OS? Why a mouse OS for fingers? C'mon, Microsoft, hop to it.

By: Sexy Beast

Sexy Beast — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:25:53 +0000

Sorry but that thing didn't look near as snappy as the iPad. Did you notice the long delays to launch stuff. And did you notice it still seems to be CURSOR BASED !

Sorry but this is a half-ass attempt at moving forward with one foot still stuck in the past. I would like to see the batt life and boot time of this crazy aspect ratio device.

I wouldn't be worried if I was Apple. No Fear.